As the Time to Leave Approaches
by calmingmotions
Summary: As the smashers say farewell to each other for what might be the final time, Marth and Ike are nowhere to be found. Link and Zelda decide to search for them. Hurt with Comfort. Epilogue has been added! Ike X Marth.
1. As the Time to Leave Approaches

I would say that it was a happy day, but then I would be lying to you.

Everyone was being sent home, and while they were excited to return to their homeland, that would mean saying goodbye to their friends yet again.

The had said goodbye to each other after melee, and they hadn't been sure whether they would see each other again. It wasn't quite as sad then, the friendships that had formed hadn't been quite as strong, but now, after brawl, they were once again unsure of whether they would be able to reunite again in the future.

So here everyone was, saying goodbye, waving, hugging. Some exchanged tears, while others merely chatted and said their farewells. Most of the smashers were gathered together in the cafeteria.

Link stood close to Zelda, saying good-bye to Mario as the Hylian Princess spoke to Peach.

"I hope to see you again, Link." Mario said as he shook the Hero's hand.

"You too, Mario." Was Link's simple reply as he gave the plumber a slight smile. The two men and their princesses stood together, watching each other for a sad while until Peach spoke up.

"It was nice to see you again, Link and Zelda," She said politely. Link gave her a small nod.

"Have you two seen Ike or Marth? Everyone keeps asking me where they are." Peach said, their depressing circumstances vanishing for a moment. Link turned to Zelda, knowing that she was more observant about these things than himself. She frowned slightly before answering.

"I don't think I've seen them, but I'll check around the manor for them." The Hylian Princesses said.

"Thank you, Zelda." Peach said with a small smile. They exchanged goodbyes for the final time before setting off to find the two swordsmen. They said goodbye to Snake before setting off into the hallway. They had already said goodbye to the other smashers, and there was no real point in lingering. They walked for a while in contempt silence before Zelda's expression grew worried. They had walked through the main hallways and found no sign of the missing two.

"I hope something didn't happen to them." The princess murmured quietly.

"I'm sure they're fine." Link replied, knowing that they were completely capable of taking care of themselves, especially if they were together. They worked well as a team. The Hylians walked for a while before Zelda abruptly stopped. Link looked at her in confusion.

"I think I heard someone." She said. She turned the corner and walked down a hallway that Link was unfamiliar with. It had different pictures along the walls, ranging from peaceful fields to a tall castle. Was this the Fire Emblem wing of the mansion?

Zelda peered around a corner before gasping slightly and hiding herself behind the wall. Link tried to walk past her, move around the corner despite Zelda's strange reaction, but he was yanked back by the princess. He leaned against the wall beside her, getting ready to complain before Zelda placed a finger over her lips in a ' _be quiet_ ' gesture.

Link shut his mouth and instead leaned his head against the wall behind him, deciding to just listen to the princess and not ask anymore questions. Zelda tapped Link's shoulder and pointed to her ears, leaving Link slightly confused for a moment until he understood. ' _Listen_.'

He listened closely. He heard soft whispers of words, nothing he could fully comprehend. He listened until he finally understood the words.

" _I love you_."

That's what was being repeated over and over again, followed by a name.

" _Ike_."

The Hylian listened intently, becoming more and more curious. The affectionate whispers sounded so sad, desperate even. Like the person whispering them was on the verge of tears, being torn away from someone they love. It saddened the hero just to hear the broken whispers.

Link desperately wanted to know who was the one whispering, so he slowly moved to peer around the corner, despite his princess' frantic movements to keep him from looking. What he saw froze him on the spot.

There were the two missing smashers, the Prince and the mercenary. Marth had his legs wrapped around Ike's torso while Ike held onto him tightly, holding the Prince against the wall. Marth was the one whispering, tears streaming down his face as Ike gently kissed along the Prince's throat, attempting to calm his fragmented breaths. Ike himself looked just as mournful as Marth's words sounded, yet the way he held the Prince was careful and compassionate, as if the Prince would shatter if he held him too tightly.

Marth's whispers changed from '' _I love you_ "s to something else.

"Please don't go," The Prince whispered, and Link could feel his heart slowly shattering, as if he were feeling the same emotions as Marth. He was sure that Zelda felt the same way. She seemed to be in distress.

"Come with me to the castle, you don't have to go back." The Prince whispered as fresh tears glided across his cheeks. Ike moved away from Marth's neck to look him in the eyes. Marth stared back sadly.

"You know that we both have to return. You have people to lead, and so do I." the mercenary replied. Marth's eyes glistened. He leaned forward and placed his head on the mercenary's shoulder, hiding his face as his body trembled slightly.

"I know." It sounded as if the Prince's heart had fractured. Ike's expression changed to one of grief. He held onto Marth tighter. The Prince moved back to look at Ike. Marth leaned forward slowly, gently.

It was a soft kiss, lasting only mere seconds, but it felt wrong to see, the amount of love that glittered in each of their eyes when they finally parted was astounding.

Link moved back, leaning against the wall next to a tearful Zelda. He had never imagined it, the royal swordsman and the mercenary. He could see it clearly now, how obvious it was. They were meant for each other, but here they were, being torn apart. Had it been like this for them after melee?

He couldn't bare to think about what would happen if they were all reunited again and one of the two didn't come. Even Link would have been upset. He couldn't imagine being here without Zelda.

The hero moved away from the wall, walking back down the hallway towards the cafeteria. He turned to see Zelda following closely behind him, her head tilted down. Link moved back to walk with her, slipping his hand into hers.

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. They'll be fine, we'll all be fine.

As they made their way down the hallway, back to the room where all the smashers were gathered, they heard one last thing.

" _Never forget about me, never forget about how much I loved you_."

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 **I hope that you enjoyed this short story. I'm considering writing a prequel-thing, so if you want me to do that just PM me or review.**

 **Reviews and favorites are appreciated.**


	2. As the Time to Reunite Arrives

**Hello, everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read this short story! I just wanted to tell you that I may be doing a series of one shots of different events that take place in the smash manor, all centered around Ike and Marth and their relationship. They will not be posted under this story, but under "Something Hidden."**

 **Other than that, I hope you enjoy this little epilogue of sorts!**

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The smashers were gathered together, the room cheerful and bright. Light shined through stained glass windows, creating an array of colors along the floor. The air had a sweet scent to it, sugar art smells wafting from the kitchen. There was a smile on everyone's face.

They had been invited back to the smash manor, a few new people making their way into the roster as well. It had been two years since the Hylians had seen these people. Link and Zelda stood next to each other, happily greeting the incoming smashers, some old friends and some new acquaintances. The Hylians couldn't have been happier to be able to see everyone again, be able to talk once again. It had gotten lonely in Hyrule without the shenanigans of the other smashers to brighten up and busy their days.

Link greeted Mario, happily shaking hands with the plumber and sending a polite nod towards Peach. Peach and Zelda caught up with each other, talking about what had happened in their kingdoms while they were away, being friendly and polite. Mario and Link watched the princesses, happy that they were all together again.

Link looked around the area, spotting Pit with a darker looking angel, dragging him around and showing him to the other smashes despite the dark angel's protests. Samus talked with one of the newcomers, a boy named Mega Man who wore a metal outfit that was a similar shade of blue to Samus' zero suit. The Hylian's eyes traveled around until something finally caught his eye.

Someone walked through the door, a blue and red cape trailing behind them and a golden crown resting on soft blue hair. Marth walked through the door, his eyes searching frantically while his expression remained calm. He met Link's gaze and smiled, walking towards the Hylian as his eyes stole glances at the other fighters.

"Hello, Link." He said, shaking Link's outstretched hand.

"Prince Marth." Link returned kindly. While Marth was the King of Altea, he insisted on keeping "Prince" as his title. Link didn't quite understand why, but he wasn't one to question the Prince's choices. They both turned to watch the other fighters arrive, the Prince watching more closely than the Hero.

Link knew who he was looking for, and he prayed to the goddesses that the person showed up. Minutes passed and the frantic air around the Prince began to fade, the time for the smashers to show up diminishing as the sun began setting. If smashers didn't get here soon, they wouldn't be allowed in the manor. Marth's expression turned from calm to sadness, although it was masked with a smile whenever someone came up to him to exchange a few words.

Link looked up at the clock along the wall, watching seconds tick by. He nudged Zelda's arm to get her attention, making sure the Altean wasn't listening before speaking to his princess.

"Do you think he'll show up." Link asked somewhat nervously, gesturing towards the clock and then the despondent Prince. Zelda gave the clock a glance and her happy expression seemed to crumble slightly under the weight of it's time.

"I don't know." She replied, turning to watch the door. Link turned as well, waiting with fleeting patience. First a new smasher walked through. He had snow white hair and wore a long, dark coat, a book in the crook of his arm and a strange sword hanging at his side. He made his way over to one of the newcomers who had showed up earlier, a young lady with blue hair and, now that he saw it, a striking resemblance to Marth.

Then the small Pokemon known as Pikachu arrived, bolts of electricity shooting out of his red cheeks. Pikachu scurried over to one of the newer Pokemon, one resembling a frog.

A tall lady with green hair and glowing wings walked through the door and was immediately greeted by the gleeful Pit and the gloomy dark angel at his side. The lady greeted them politely, holding back bits of laughter at the sight of the unhappy angel.

Time was ticking by, and Link watched Marth muster a smile to shine at Pit. It tore at the Hylian's heart to see his crestfallen expression after his smile disappeared.

Then someone new walked through the door, someone tall, more muscular than the last time they had seen him and with a few more scars. He had dark blue hair and a cape trailed behind him, a heavy sword clinking against the metal on his outfit.

He hurried into the room, looking around. The princess and Hero watched the bluenette's eyes meet. Marth walked up to him, keeping his royal composure while still being quick-footed. The mercenary had a smile dancing along his lips, his eyes glimmering as he watched the Prince walk over to him, seeming entranced. The Prince stopped in front of him, gave him a long look, and walked into the long hallway slowly, disappearing around the corner.

Ike followed him, of course. Some Smashers looked curiously at the two, but returned to their conversations. Zelda tugged on Link's sleeve, successfully gaining his attention. She made a nodding motion towards the disappearing couple, a gleam in her eyes.

Link followed her gaze uneasily, knowing that she wanted to follow the two. They really shouldn't, the Prince and mercenary deserved their privacy, but at the same time, Link was curious about the noble and the mercenary as well.

He nodded unsurely, feeling the Princess excitedly tug him towards the doorway in which the two had disappeared. Link waved a quick goodbye to Mario and Peach before rounding the corner.

Zelda slowed her steps, carefully placing her feet on the carpet as she tried to locate the swordsmen. She walked down a long hallway and turned into a shorter one, the walls decorated with paintings of rural landscapes and a tall castle. Of course, the Fire Emblem section. The Princess slowed, approaching another corner, then leaned against the wall.

She bent forward, peering around the corner. She turned back to Link, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"They're over there." She said, peeking back around the corner. Link moved to look past as well, leaning over his princess to see. Marth was, once again, up against the wall, pinned by the taller Ike. Delicate tear tracks traced both of their faces -tears of joy, not sorrow-, the Prince with a large smile across his face, mumbling soft words happily, while the mercenary had a small smile gracing his lips, listening to Marth's words.

"I didn't know if I'd ever see you again," Marth said with a sniffle, pressing his forehead to Ike's, "And now here you are," He laughed slightly, the melodic sound turning into soft sobs.

"I was scared that you had moved on, scared that you might forget about me," Marth explained, new tears streaming down his face as Ike tried to wipe away the continuous flow, "But here you are, still loyal, still confessing your love to me even after all that time."

"And I will confess it a thousand times more if you still don't believe me." Ike murmured back lovingly, soothingly, placing his hands on either side of Marth's face. The Prince smiled, raising his own hands to place them over Ike's. Ike gave the Prince a soft kiss on the forehead, nose, lips.

"There is no need to confess, for I love you with all my heart and I know you love me as well." The Prince whispered. The Prince and mercenary stood still, holding each other, searching each other's eyes. Zelda tugged on Link's sleeve, pulling him out of his focus. He turned to her, moving away from the corner.

She had a slight smile on her face, and he could tell that she was happy for the couple.

"Let's head back." She said softly, sliding her hand into Link's. The hero nodded, knowing that the two deserved privacy. So they walked together, the princess and the hero, knowing that all would be okay, all was right in the world for the time, everyone was happy for now.

If only they could all stay in this mansion forever.

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